The Way Life Works
by stranger 86
Summary: This is the story of Lily and James' transition from Hogwarts students to fighters in a war.
1. Chapter 1

**The Way Life Works- Chapter 1**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, Warner Brothers, Scholastic Books and all affiliated parties. No infringement is intended and no profit is being made.**

**Chapter 1- Get it Together**

**Four seventeen year old boys sat on two red worn couches in a room lit warmly by a large fireplace. Two of the boys, a tall, dark and handsome boy named Sirius sat talking intently with a short, pudgy boy named Peter, they were discussing the scores from their favorite Quidditch teams latest matches. **

"**Sirius, I swear, Puddlemere is going to knock the Harpies out of the air." **

"**Never underestimate the fairer sex Peter, the Harpies will not be beat."**

**The other two boys were also talking quite emphatically, but on a completely separate and much more serious subject. One boy, a pale, light haired boy named Remus was talking with a black haired with round glasses and calm, but intense brown eyes, named James.**

"**James, do you really think this is a good idea, it sounds dangerous?" **

"**Dumbledore asked me to do it, I can say no can I? It's Dumbledore." James answered.**

**Dumbledore was the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the most respected wizard in the world. **

"**Besides Remus, Dumbledore wouldn't lead me somewhere if there was great risk." James reasoned.**

"**I guess I can't argue with that, just… just be careful. You're my best mate James, so don't do anything stupid, okay?"**

"**Remus is right James, this is serious, be safe." Sirius added from his position on the other couch, he had finished his conversation with Peter and had been listening to James and Remus. Peter had headed up to bed.**

"**I'll be fine guys, and Dumbledore will be with me. I have to go. I'll be back sometime tomorrow morning." **

**James got up from the sofa, grabbed his school bag, which at the moment contained only his invisibility cloak and some water, and walked out of the common room of Gryffindor Tower, one of four towers within Hogwarts. The other three towers were located in various areas in the castle. As James was walking up to Dumbledore's office he bumped into a girl with auburn hair. Her name was Lily Evans and she was Headgirl. James, being Headboy, was familiar with the girl who had only recently become what might be considered a friend. They had been enemies the first six years of their schooling, but had reached a truce of sorts when they found they'd be working together.**

**As the books Lily were carrying fell to the ground, James let out a soft curse and apologized.**

"**I'm sorry Lily, I didn't see you." He bent down to help her pick up her books.**

"**It's okay, where are you headed, it's getting quite late?" Lily asked. **

"**I'm just meeting someone." James said to her, evasively, he wasn't given permission to tell Lily anything about what he was doing, even though he knew she could be trusted. He thought he saw a flash of something in Lily's eyes but thought she must just be tired.**

"**Oh, okay, I'll see you later." Lily said. Lily turned and walked in the direction of the common room James had just left. Had James not been so preoccupied with his mission with Dumbledore, he would likely have noticed the sadness and confusion in Lily's eyes, with a hint of jealousy. But he was preoccupied and nervous, but he knew how important this was and continued to Dumbledore's office.**

**Dumbledore's office was located in an isolated tower, guarded by the statue of a griffin, and required a password, James being Headboy knew the password, but he always took a few seconds to admire the statue on his way up to see Dumbledore. Something about it fascinated him. He had seen a lot of Dumbledore in his six years at Hogwarts, it was only since the start of the current year that he saw Dumbledore for something other than to receive detention for a prank he pulled. He found that he enjoyed his time in Dumbledore's office much more when he wasn't in trouble. Dumbledore was a fascinating man and a man that deserved as much respect as he was given. James felt strongly about this point because Dumbledore had given James a chance, as Headboy, when he in no way earned it, or so he felt. Ever since he had received his badge in the late summer he vowed to show Dumbledore that he hadn't made a mistake, and show Dumbledore the respect he never had before when he was flouting the rules at every turn.**

**He reached the top of the stairs and knocked on the heavy wooden door that lead to Dumbledore's office and entered when he was invited in by Dumbledore. They immediately headed out and caught a carriage to the edge of Hogwarts so they could apparate to wherever it was they were going.**

"**Well, James, are you ready to go?" Dumbledore asked.**

"**Yes sir, is there anything I need to know?"**

"**No James, we shouldn't see any danger or adventure on our excursion this evening I'm afraid. Just meeting a new friend who will hopefully agree to be a professor for the remainder of the year, I'm sure you heard that Professor Stewart needs to leave immediately to care for her sick mother."**

"**Yes sir." James said. He wondered why he was asked to go if only to pick up a new professor, but he kept his question to himself.**

"**Well, the night gets later every second, she's agreed to meet us at the Three Broomsticks Pub, you know where it is I trust?" Dumbledore asked with a small smile. James and his friends had gotten drunk and caused a small ruckus there when Remus had turned Seventeen.**

"**Yes sir, I'll meet you there?" James returned with a small smile remembering the incident.**

"**See you there." Dumbledore said.**

**With two distinct pops James and Dumbledore disappeared.**

**

* * *

**

**When Lily arrived at the common room she glanced to her right and saw Sirius and Remus laughing and telling each other jokes. Her heart sank a little more. Clearly James was meeting a girl somewhere. She had been fighting everyday for the last several weeks with her feelings for James and still wasn't sure how she felt. She knew, that she didn't like the thought of James with another girl. She also knew that had this been last year, James would have made a point to flaunt his latest escapade to her face in the hopes of making her jealous and getting her to go out with him, but something had made him change, grow up a little. She appreciated that about him this year, especially considering she had to work with him constantly, but something was missing between them now and she wanted it back, she just didn't know what it was, or how to get it back. She nodded to Remus who had given her a small wave and a smile, they had always gotten along. Remus was more studious than his friends and they had formed a friendship when they patrolled together as prefects. She sat down at a table and decided to get a start on her potions essay, potions was relatively easy for her and helped her relax, as strange as that sounded. Her mind would not focus however, her thoughts kept focusing on James which just frustrated her. So she packed her things and headed to bed, bidding goodnight to the two boys. Her last thought before she fell asleep was about James. **


	2. Chapter 2

The Way Life Works- Chapter 2

Disclaimer- Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, Warner Brothers, Scholastic Books and all other affiliated parties. No infringement is intended and no money is being made.

Chapter 2- The Mission

James looked to his right and saw Dumbledore there smiling at him and followed as Dumbledore lead him into the pub. They got a booth in a dark back corner of the pub but was still warm and comfortable. It was clear to James that Dumbledore was trying not to draw attention to himself and yet also trying not to be completely invisible. James heard the bells of the door jingle as the door was opened and a tall disheveled women with enormous glasses that made her eyes appear the size of marbles entered. James had to refrain himself from laughing, and instead sat up straighter and placed his hands laced on the table. He was determined to help Dumbledore, he could joke about it with his friends later. Dumbledore stood gracefully and met the women half way to the table and lead her the rest of the way. James smiled and stood with his hand outstretched to shake her hand.

"James, this is Sybill Trelawney a dear friend and former student of mine, as well as a competent seer. Sybill this is Hogwart's Head Boy, _James Potter_." James couldn't help but notice the extra emphasis Dumbledore put on his name but stayed silent.

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Trelawney." James shook her hand and put on his most charming smile, for what good it did. This Trelawney women, just held his hand and peered at him, as is he were some experiment gone horribly wrong.

"My dear boy, it's nice to meet you too, however short your time is running." Trelawney finally spoke with a wispy, hoarse voice. Her expression was now one of pity. James didn't know how to respond and took a quick look at Dumbledore who looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Well, now that well all know each other, lets sit and have a drink shall we?" Dumbledore said pleasantly once he had regained his professionalism. James gave him a short look but sat down and waited for the waitress. Trelawney stumbled into the seat, after almost landing on the floor.

"Now, since we're all here and comfortable, let's get down to business shall we?" Dumbledore asked with a genuine smile.

"Given your incredible talent Ms. Trelawney, it would truly be an honor for Hogwarts if you would agree to become our Divination Professor. We do have a bit of a time constraint, so I must beg of you to consider putting aside your busy schedule to guide our students." Dumbledore implored. James personally thought Dumbledore had been laying it on a bit thick, but when he noticed the look on Trelawney's face, he understood the Dumbledore clearly knew what he was doing.

"It would truly be an honor to learn from a true professional. Not to speak ill of the current professor, but I didn't feel she was comfortable with the gravity of the subject, which is why I must confess I dropped the subject." James added, with his charming smile in place.

"For shame. Dumbledore surely you know how important and delicate the subject of Divination is, it requires years of experience. I must make sure these children learn from the best. I shall arrive at Hogwarts tomorrow. I can't believe you would be careless, so sightless Professor Dumbledore." Trelawney exclaimed as she stood, she was beginning to sway from the several glasses of sherry she managed to drink in such a short period of time.

"I fear Professor Trelawney, that even I fail to see the full extent of things. Nevertheless, with you at the helm, divination is sure to be put right again. Now I'm afraid it is late, and Mr. Potter here has an early class tomorrow." Dumbledore said as he stood up slowly. At the mention of James' name Trelawney's focus turned intently to James.

"Please take care of yourself young man, I fear your time is running out." She patted his shoulder, turned wobbly, and left the pub.

"Well, I guess we better get a move on then, shall we James." Dumbledore said with that same small smile from before. James just nodded wondering why he was really needed at that meeting, but trusting Dumbledore all the same. When they reached the outside of the pub, they nodded to each other and apparated back to the edge of Hogwarts grounds. It was nearing one in the morning when the two men walked back to the castle discussing unimportant issues, with James wondering when Dumbledore was going to tell him the entire story.

* * *

The following morning, after a troubled night of sleep Lily was walking to the Great Hall for breakfast when she saw James talking and laughing with a girl. She couldn't remember the girl's name, but knew she was the Ravenclaw quidditch team captain. The Ravenclaw vs. Gryffindor match was last month with Gryffindor on top winning by one hundred points. Lily tried to tell herself that he was just offering her advice captain to captain, as James was the captain of the Gryffindor team, and Ravenclaw was due to play Hufflepuff on Saturday which was two days away. When James laughed again Lily looked over and saw James kiss the girl's cheek, Lily's heart sank. This must be the girl he was with last night she thought sadly and continued on her way to the Great Hall, hoping James would not see her. Luck was not in her favor that morning.

"Good morning Lily. How was your evening after we parted ways in the hallway?" James asked her with a carefree smile.

"Oh…it was fine. Uhum... just worked a little on my potions then went to sleep. What about you, you look tired?" she asked and cursed herself for her nervousness. Thankfully James didn't seem to notice.

"Yeah, I had a bit of a late night last night, didn't get back to the tower until after one. Thankfully tomorrow is the weekend. Well have a good day Lily." James said as he held the door open for her then left to meet his friends. Late night. James had a late night last night, thought Lily. She couldn't help but be a little depressed, she needed to get over whatever was bothering her. They needed to work together, so she couldn't afford to be distracted or nervous around him. She vowed to get over her past and present issues with James. She sat down and chatted with her friends all the while unaware that someone close to her had seen and heard her awkwardness with James and was wondering what should be done about it.


	3. Chapter 3

The Way Life Works-Chapter 3

Disclaimer- Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, Warner Brothers, Scholastic Books and all other affiliated parties, no infringement is intended and no money is being made.

Chapter 3- Mass Confusion

James woke the morning after his mission with Dumbledore wishing he could stay in bed for a few more hours but knowing he couldn't. He happily got out of bed when he remembered how proud Dumbledore had been of him for helping to get Professor Trelawney to come to Hogwarts. He was also happy because he remember he had potions and patrols with Lily that night. Despite their messy history, he felt they were finally making progress and he hoped that they would be in an even better place for him to ask her to the Hogsmeade visit next month, he knew they weren't in that place yet, but he hoped they would be soon. James took a shower and dressed, trying to tame his messy hair. As he was walking toward the Great Hall he saw Sarah Valentine from the Ravenclaw Quidditch team waving him over.

"Good morning Sarah, how are you this lovely morning?" James said with a charming grin. He and Sarah had known each other since they were kids and might as well have been brother and sister. When James greeted her that morning she had to laugh.

"I'm fine James. So, any tips you're willing to share so Ravenclaw can beat Hufflepuff this weekend? We need to make up from our loss to you Gryffindors last month."

"First of all, last months match was one hell of a good show on both parts, you Claws were tough to beat, you're a fantastic coach. Secondly, tell your chasers to focus on the right Hufflepuff hoop, Sanders is left handed and tends to focus on the left side. So, where is that charming boyfriend of yours I was hoping to interrogate… I mean get to know him better." Sarah sighed.

"James, Sam is a nice guy, you know that, he almost beat you out for Head Boy. I know you just want to protect me James, but really please be nice to him. We can all meet at the Three Broomsticks next weekend so you can get to know him, but only if you promise to lay off."

"Relax Sarah, I do know Sam is a great guy, and I know he makes you happy. You're like my sister Sarah I just want you to be happy. I promise I'll be good." Sarah smiled and came back with a cheeky response.

"So, will Miss Lily Evans be joining our little group next weekend. You two aren't always about to kill each other anymore. Don't even try to say you don't like her that way anymore, 'cause I know you better than that." This time it was James' turn to sigh.

"Ah..well, no she won't. I do still like her, but we're just now coming to a delicate understanding with each other, if I ask her now it will just dig up all those old memories when I would bug her for a date, or try to make her jealous. It's going to take some time but I know it'll be worth the wait." James said with a small sappy smile of his face, that Sarah could help but exploit.

"You've got it bad my friend. If only you could see the goofy look on your face right now." She laughed and so did James. "But I'm glad you've seen the light James, you might actually get somewhere with Lily when you don't act like an arse around her. Be that charming guy you can be…when you try…really, really hard." Sarah and James both laughed again.

"I will. Listen I'm starving, so I'll talk to you later. And remember, go for the right side and you've got it in the bag." James left her with a kiss on the cheek.

Sarah noticed Lily standing not far away with a heartbroken look on her face and felt terrible, knowing the conclusion Lily must have come to about her and James. Very few people knew of her and James' friendship as they were sorted into different houses when they arrived at Hogwarts and didn't have many classes together. They did see each other every summer and she had actually dated Remus for a short time but aside from his friends no one really knew. She knew she was going to have to do something to set things right with Lily and when she noticed who else had seen Lily's reaction as well as her awkward conversation with James she knew exactly who to ask for help. With a smile she turned and joined her fellow Ravenclaws for breakfast.

* * *

Lily's day went by fast and she was proud of how she acted around James in their potions class. James however, was extremely confused. While Lily was cordial and even offered a few small smiles she wasn't at all the cheerful girl she had been just a few days before. She was acting aloof around him for some reason. He wondered if he had done something to upset her without knowing it. He was determined to find out later that night when they were going to do rounds.

This time, two people noticed Lily's strange attitude with James, but only one knew why.

"Remus, did James do something to make Lily angry again, she's acting weird around him, don't you think?" Sirius asked. Sirius was extremely happy for James, it finally looked like things would eventually work out with James and Lily so the sudden change bothered him. He had been against Lily in the beginning, thinking she was too uptight, but the few times since she and James had formed a truce he had seen how funny and lighthearted she could be. He thought, though he would never tell anyone and risk looking sappy, that she would be a great match for his best mate.

"It's funny you should mention that Sirius. James didn't intentionally do anything to anger Lily, but I'm afraid Lily may have misinterpreted what James was doing the other night." Remus said.

"What do you mean?" "This morning when I was walking to breakfast James was talking with Sarah and kissed her cheek when he walked a way. Lily looked crushed when she saw it, and then her conversation with James was really awkward afterward. I think she is finally coming around."

"So she was jealous?"

"It seems likely. I think Sarah noticed, so we should talk to her about what we can do to help James out. We don't want Lily to get the wrong impression."

"Count me in." The two would have continued their conversation but had to cut it short as the professor was approaching their table.

* * *

Later that night, James was straightening himself up for patrols, as much as he wanted to show Dumbledore that he hadn't made a mistake, he wanted to show Lily that he could be a good Head Boy proficient at his job. So he tucked his shirt in, tightened and straightened his tie and pulled his robes on making sure his Head Boy badge was straight. He took a deep breath and walked out into the common room to meet Lily.

While James was cleaning himself up, Lily was telling herself she didn't need to. Her uniform was perfect as it always was so she didn't need to straighten up her uniform, it was her hair and make up that she was questioning. She would pick up her brush just to put it back down again, and again. She would do the same with her make up, in the end she ran a brush through her hair but left her make up alone, consoling herself with at least not doing as much as she could have. She too took a deep breath and walked to meet James in the common room. Both sets of friends had been watching as the two cleaned themselves up. James's friends had to fight laughter away, while Lily's friends were confused and had not idea what had her in such a state, after all it was only James…right?

If one thing was for sure, it was going to be a very interesting night.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer- Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, Warner Brothers, Scholastic Books and all other affiliated parties, no infringement is intended and no money is being made.

The Way Life Works- Chapter 4- Patrolling

James arrived in the common room first and chatted with a few people before Lily made her way over to him. All the way from the girl's staircase Lily couldn't help but admire the way James looked. He had clearly cleaned himself up, and the thought that he may have done it for her made her heart flutter, but she second guessed herself immediately and guessed he would be meeting that Ravenclaw after their patrols. With her spirits effectively broken, she tapped James on the shoulder.

"Ready to go?" Lily asked, trying, but failing, to sound normal. James noticing the slight hitch in her voice, but not knowing why it was there answered hesitantly.

"Uh…yeah. You ready?" James asked, hoping things would go smoothly.

"Yeah of course!" Lily said, overcompensating for her sullen question before. Now James was really confused. As they made their way out of the room, he glanced first at Lily's friends who looked just a confused as he did and then to his friends where Sirius and Remus were looking pensive, and Peter was looking clueless, as usual. With a sigh and a silent prayer that this wouldn't ruin their tentative friendship, James followed Lily out of the common room.

It was thirty minutes into their patrol before anything was spoken. They had both been lost in their thoughts. James was trying to find a suitable approach to get Lily to tell him what was wrong, and Lily was trying to get herself to just relax around James so things could go back to normal.

"Umm… Lily, could I ask you something?" James asked softly and hesitantly.

"Sure what's up?" Lily asked, finally managing to sound normal, mostly because she wasn't looking at him.

"Did I do something to upset you, I mean recently?" James said and had to smile at the second part. Thankfully, Lily smiled to. "No you didn't, why do you ask?"

"It just seems like, like we've gone from a sort of friendship to nothing. You've been kind of…cold towards me the last few days and I just thought I may have upset you somehow. I wanted to know so I could make it right. I really like the fact that we've been getting along Lily and I don't want to screw that up." James said frankly. Lily had to fight tears. She felt bad, she had been thinking only of herself and how she felt that James may be with someone and completely forgot how to be his friend. And to make matters worse, she was starting to alienate him without knowing it. She was glad he had pointed it out otherwise she could lose him completely. Now all she had to do was come up with some explanation as to why she had been acting the way she had.

"You haven't done anything James, and I'm sorry I've given you that impression. I… Things with my sister haven't been great lately. She sent me a scathing letter about how she hated me and didn't want me to be anywhere near her wedding over Christmas 'cause my freakishness would ruin it and I've just been preoccupied." Lily finally told him. It really wasn't a lie, her sister really had sent her a horrible letter about Lily's freakishness ruining her wedding, but that really wasn't what was bothering her, she was used to it, but James didn't need to know that.

"I'm really sorry Lily. I had no idea you and your sister didn't get along. How long has this been going on?" James asked, his concern was obviously genuine, which made Lily feel a little better.

"It first started when I got my letter fog Hogwarts and my family found out I was a witch. At first it was just name calling, then as time went on she just kept getting worse and worse and started hating me more and more. My mom says its because she doesn't understand or because she's jealous of my talent, all I know is how much it hurts." Lily said. This time it was all honesty. Lily realized that what her sister had said to her really did hurt her, and with a start realized she had started crying. James stepped closer to her and slowly put his arms around her hoping it would be okay with her, and it was. She melted into his strong chest, crying yet feeling warm and comfortable at the same time.

"I wish there was something I could do to help, or something I could say to make you feel better, but all I've got in my small male brain" he said with a chuckle, getting a giggle out of Lily, "is that people mock and shun what they don't understand. And I think your mother is right Lily, your sister must be jealous of you, you're crazy talented and a beautiful person inside and out. Instead of embracing those aspects of you, she's shunned them and cut herself off, it's unfortunate, and personally, it's something I'm glad I figured out before it was too late. I learned to see you Lily, the amazing person you are and even after all the crap I pulled you still gave me a chance, and I hope you know that I cherish that chance everyday because it allows me to see you shine from close up instead of at a distance. Let me just say that it's an amazing thing to witness, and your sister is missing all of it, and I know it is something she'll regret one day." James said, hoping he hadn't overstepped their friendship by being so honest but Lily needed to know how special she was. Lily didn't think he had overstepped anything, his words had made her heart and confidence soar. She vowed to be the best friend she could be to James, and hoped that one day they could be more than just friends.

"Thank you James. That means a lot." She sighed as she stepped back.

"Well our rounds are over, we should get back, I'm sure you have someone…somewhere to be." Lily said. James was confused with the correction but answered honestly anyway, figuring she must just be tired.

"Nope, no where to be. Let's head back to the common room yeah?" With a nod from Lily they headed back.

Lily was confused. It was Friday night. Wouldn't James want to meet his Ravenclaw girlfriend? Maybe he just doesn't want me to know, so he's taking me to the common room and will sneak out later. No that doesn't make since, he made no secret of their last meeting. With all of these thought running through her head Lily came to two important realizations. One, she has feelings for James; romantic feelings for him. It's the only explanation for her obsession…uhum interest in his activities. And secondly, there were to many questions she couldn't answer, therefore their must be something she was missing.

Lily had no idea how right she was, but she was about to find out.

When James and Lily arrived back at the common room they were chatting like old friends, closer than they ever had been before. Both sets of friends noticed the new level of closeness and both would grill their friend later that night to find out. But at the moment everyone was just happy that things seemed to be back to normal, at least for the moment.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer- Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, Warner Brothers, Scholastic Books and all other affiliated parties. No money is being made and no infringement is intended.

I wanted to give acknowledgement to the Harry Potter Encylopedia website, which I use as a reference to check my facts.

The Way Life Works- Chapter 5 Tactics

"So, let me get this straight, you two think Lily has fallen in love with James?" Lily's friend Marlene asked with a look that clearly expressed her disbelief.

"Look, I know it seems unlikely, but you three haven't seen what Remus saw outside the Great Hall, and you didn't see what Remus and I saw in potions. Plus, you have to admit she's been acting strange lately." Sirius insisted. He knew that he and Remus had the right idea but they needed help, and Lily's friends were the best option.

"I hate to admit this, mostly because it was Sirius saying it, but I think he's right." Lily's other friend Daniela said. "I've noticed her looking at him more, and I swear last night when Lily came down the stairs to meet James for patrols, she was checking him out. There's clearly something there."

"What do we do about it, shouldn't we just let them figure it out on their own?" Lily's friend Denise asked.

"Normally I would agree with you, however, believe it or not, James has learned his lesson. He's convinced that he needs to wait because they're just barely friends and Lily would never go for it. I'm convinced that Lily is going to have to either ask him out herself, or make it obvious, boy obvious, James obvious, that she's interested. If she doesn't then it may never happen." Remus said.

"How are we going to do that?" Marlene asked.

"I think I can help with that." Sarah Valentine said coming from behind them. The five of them had been hidden in a back part of the library while James and Lily were in their weekly Head's meeting with the professors.

"Hey Sarah, how can you help?" Asked Remus.

"I saw what you saw outside the Great Hall. Lily saw James kiss my check and she looked crushed afterward."

"Why would James kiss your cheek?" Denise asked.

"James and I have known each other forever, he's like my brother. The only reason people don't know is that we hardly ever see each other at school, but we spend most of the summer together. He was bugging me about my boyfriend, so Lily does not need to worry about competition from me."

"You still haven't said how we can help them get it together?" Sirius asked.

"Well for starters, Lily needs to know I have a boyfriend that isn't James, that alone will help her get a little of her confidence back. Then it's a matter for the five of you. Sirius, Remus, you will need to push James into asking Lily out, and when he argues that they don't know each other well enough, then tell him to talk to her more, about more serious things, like his family and friends. Marlene, Denise and Daniela you need to do the same thing with Lily. Make sure you tell her you noticed how much James has changed and become an okay guy. You might even consider talking to him yourself. Point it out when he looks at Lily. And finally, you five should make a habit out of hanging out. Like Hogsmeade this weekend, instead of going with dates or in two separate groups explain to Lily and James that you had already made plans to go together. Bottom line, make them spend as much time together as possible, and talk the other person, either Lily or James, up as much as possible." Sarah finished her speech and sat down tiredly next to Sirius, who put his arm around the back of her chair.

"So you really have a boyfriend?" Sirius asked

"Sirius!"

"Sorry, Sarah that is a perfect, if not long winded plan." Sirius said.

"I think its perfect as well." Remus agreed, and all of Lily's friends agreed as well.

"So I'm going to meet my boyfriend, Sam, while you get started on our plan." Sarah said as she grabbed her things and left, with Sirius watching.

After Sarah had left, the five new friends sat and put together a game plan about how they would explain to James and Lily that they would be going to Hogsmeade with each other. Despite the bad blood that had existed between the two groups when James and Lily were at odds, the five quickly got over the past and found they actually had fun together, especially with Remus around to keep Sirius in line.

Lily and James were stopped on their way out of the meeting by Professor McGonagall.

"I just wanted to say how proud I am of you two. The two of you have managed to put aside your differences and work together, and dear I say, become friends in the process. Please keep up the good work." McGonagall patted their shoulders as she walked away and started a conversation with Professor Slughorn. It took Lily and James awhile for what Professor McGonagall said to them sink in.

"In the six years we've been here, I don't think I've ever heard her say something that complimentary to anyone. Come to think of it though, maybe it's just that she's never said anything that complimentary to me, considering all I've done." James said with a short laugh.

"It's not just you. Professor McGonagall can be understanding and sympathetic when she needs you to be but like you said, I've never heard her be so outwardly complimentary either." Lily returned

"Well, I guess we'll just have to make sure we don't abuse that compliment." James said wisely with a friendly smile. Then he headed toward the common room. Lily was surprised that James didn't make a joke about it, on the contrary he seemed…honored. He really was beginning to surprise her more and more.

* * *

When Lily and James arrived to the common room they were shocked to see their friends all sitting together and laughing at some story Sirius was telling.

"So she yells at me, 'Mr. Black what exactly are you planning to do with that armadillo bile, this is transfiguration.'" The four others burst into laughter and even James had to chuckle, he had heard the story before. James and Lily made their way over.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Asked Lily as she took a seat next to Remus who she noticed was sitting just a little too close to Marlene.

"We had a question about transfiguration and I came over to ask Remus and heard Sirius telling stories, which I have to admit are actually pretty funny, and so we sat down to listen." Marlene answered for her, Denise and Daniela.

"If you're interested, we kind of agreed to hang out in Hogsmeade tomorrow to hear so more stories, we were hoping you come with us, you too James."

"The four of us do have a lot of great stories." James said.

"Four of you?" Denise asked.

"Yeah, me, Sirius, Remus and Peter."

"Oh yeah, Peter, where is he anyway, I haven't seen him since Transfiguration this afternoon?"

"You know, I don't know, sometimes he takes naps in the afternoon." James said as he sat in the only available seat, next to Lily." It was a tight fit and James shot Lily an apologetic look, but she just shrugged.

"Well, are you two in about tomorrow?" Asked Marlene.

"Sure, I don't see why not." Lily said

"What about you James, will you come or do you have a date?" Marlene asked.

"No, no date, I'd love to go." Lily had to admit she was relieved. She would freely admit to thinking Hogsmeade was going to be fun tomorrow. Now that James was acting his age it was much easier to admit that some of the pranks he had pulled in the past were actually quite funny.

"Well it's getting late, I'm gonna head to bed. I'll see you all tomorrow." Lily said as she got up.

"Good night Lily." James said, before anyone else; the rest followed shortly thereafter. Lily turned and gave them a small smile, lingering on James a little longer than the rest. Lily's friends followed shortly after her.

* * *

Later that night, Sirius and Remus cornered James.

"Did you see the look Lily gave you tonight."

"Look, what look?"

"After you said goodnight. When she turned and smiled she gave you this look, this…girl look." Sirius said inarticulately.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that when she smiled at us, her gaze lingered on you longer than anyone else, probably because you said goodnight before anyone else."

"Why would that justify a 'lingering gaze' as you put it Moony?"

"Because it showed that you notice her and care enough to say goodnight."

"You think she likes me, is that what you're getting at, 'cause if it is, you're way off base."

"Believe what you want James, but Lily is definitely coming around, you might want to consider asking her out soon."

James went to bed that night thinking about what his friends had said and wondering if they were right.

* * *

Lily's friends were no less ruthless with their friend.

"Lily, what was with that look you gave James when you left?" Daniela asked.

"Look, what look?"

"When you smiled at everyone when you were coming up here, you smiled at James longer than anyone else."

"What, no I didn't. Why would I do that?" Lily asked, almost frantically.

"To steal a line from Shakespeare, 'The lady doth protest too much, I fear.'" Marlene added hiding a smirk.

"Think what you will, but I don't like James."

"We didn't say anything about you liking James, we just said you smiled at him. But that's interesting Lily, we'll keep that in mind." Denise said, and she, Marlene and Daniela all chuckled. All three could have sworn they heard he mutter "I hate you guys" before she got into her bed and shut her curtains. The three girls, and the two boys in the other dorm thought the same thing, Sarah's plan was going brilliantly. There was more work to be done, but it was going to be fun.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowiling, Warner Brothers, Scholastic Books and all other affiliated parties. No money is being made, and no infringement is intended.

The Way Life Works- Chapter 6- Hogsmeade

Saturday, the day of the Hogsmeade trip, dawned a clear brisk fall day. James woke around 8am which was relatively early for him, but he had slept soundly the night before. He showered and dressed in jeans and a charcoal sweater with his outer Hogwarts robe over his arm. When he reached the common room he noticed Lily sitting in an arm chair reading a non school related book. He hesitated before greeting her, hoping she wouldn't be angry that he interrupted, he decided he would say a brief good morning and then head down to breakfast. So James made his way over.

"Good morning Lily, enjoying the quiet?"

"Yeah, it's nice on Saturday before everyone wakes up, I can read my novel without the high volume of noise later in the day."

"I can understand that. Well, I'll leave you to it, I'm going to get some breakfast, can I bring you anything back?" James asked.

"Sure, if you don't mind. I'd love a blueberry scone,…wait, you know what, I'll just go with you, I'm quite hungry." Lily said.

"Okay, shall we." James joked with a sweeping gesture with his arm, which made Lily laugh. They made their way to the Great Hall, when they reached the it, James opened he door and held it for Lily as she went through and they made their way to the table. The two managed to chat quite amicably for a few minutes before they were joined by other members of Gryffindor and eventually their friends.

"You two were up early this morning." Marlene was the first to say.

"Yeah, I just got a good night sleep and woke up early but rested." James said.

"I always wake early, so I don't know why you're so surprised Marlene." Lily said. "I was reading in the quiet common room when James came down and we decided to go to breakfast."

"Are you going to be rested enough for our exciting trip to Hogsmeade today, I spent some time last night thinking about the best stories to tell." Sirius said and the rest chuckled at his enthusiasm.

"I'm sure we'll be fine Sirius. Today should be a lot of fun." Lily reassured.

After they had all finished their breakfast, they grabbed their coats or robes from the common room and headed down to Hogsmeade. The large group spent the beginning of the day just wandering around, getting candy, refilling their supplies of ink and parchment and window shopping. For lunch and several hours afterward they stopped at the Three Broomsticks. They first ate their lunches, and as soon as Sirius was finished with his, he started telling stories. One of the stories was about a prank they had pulled on a group of arrogant Ravenclaw boys last year. James, Sirius, and Remus had heard the boys talking about how they were dating and dumping girls for the fun of it, so they decided to humiliate them in return. They grew especially upset when they learned that Lily's friend Daniela had been a target of one of the boys. One morning while the Ravelclaw boys were eating breakfast, their hair started to grow and change color to match their female victims. They then began to involuntarily explain loudly to all in the Great Hall what they had done and that the reason was the need to hide their attraction to each other. Of course, the story told by Sirius was much more lively and funny, but the girls at the table both laughed and were happy that justice was served, they still remembered how upset Daniela had been when she realized that a guy she really liked was just using her for a laugh.

"Whose idea was it?" Asked Daniela, a little meekly. James was looking down at his plate so Remus answered for him.

"James came up with the plan."

"Thanks James." Daniela said with great emotion.

"You don't have to thank me, what they were doing was wrong, they got what was coming to them. Besides, you deserve better." James said quietly but forcefully. Lily was a little confused. In the past the rumors about James and Sirius and the girls they were with circulated and Lily believed the rumors that James and Sirius used girls as well. It was something she needed an answer to but was too afraid she would upset James. The stories continued for another hour before they took a turn.

"Okay, okay, this next story is my personal favorite. I of course have a personal grudge against this individual, I freely admit that, and this time unfortunately there was no reason for the prank other than retaliation." Sirius went on and Lily stiffened in her seat. She knew who this story was going to be about, and despite the fact they were no longer friends, she still hated what James and his friends had done to him.

"Snape, has always been a greasy git and used every chance he had to throw his 'superior abilities' in our faces. He was and is a bitter person and I hate him. But anyway, it was a couple of days after Snape had goaded James into a fight last year that got James into deep trouble that I formulated this brilliant plan." This time it was James and Remus who stiffened knowing what story he was going to tell.

"Sirius, I hate to burst your bubble, but we're supposed to be entertaining the ladies, not boring them, this is not one of our best stories." James said with a very serious tone hoping Sirius would pick up on it. However, Sirius had decided to have a couple pints, which was allowed given that he was of age, and therefore did not pick up James' tone, nor did he notice the stiffness of Lily, James and Remus. The only good thing is that the girls already knew of Remus' condition as a werewolf. Remus had told Lily when she figured it out, and Remus had given her permission to tell her friends, knowing it would go no further.

"Nonsense James" Sirius continued. "While James was in detention and Remus was heading to his hiding place during his time of the month, I bumped into Snape and we bickered and I got him riled enough to follow me. I led him down to the Whomping Willow. Oh the look on his face when he saw Remus in his other form. He wet his pants. Ah the good old times." Sirius said. Without a word, Lily got up from the table and stormed out of the Three Broomsticks, Remus also stormed out. Lily's friends were looking at Sirius as if he had gone crazy and followed Lily.

"I hope you're happy Sirius. You turned what should've been a great day, into your own personal ego fest. Do you remember what happened after that Sirius? Do you remember the humiliation and anguish you made Remus feel? Do you remember any of that? Clearly not, or you wouldn't have been so insensitive. I hope you enjoy the rest of your afternoon." James said as he to got up and stomped out furious with Sirius.

Peter and Sirius were the only ones left at the table. Sirius still slightly drunk and not thinking clearly was indignant about the whole experience. And Peter, not really caring about the others.

* * *

James tried to find Remus to talk, but couldn't find him and in the end decided that was probably for the best as he needed to calm down. For awhile he paced near the lake. He couldn't even remember being this angry the night the event actually took place. The fact that Sirius had clearly not learned anything from the experience just made James angrier, remembering all the grief that Remus went through thinking he may have turned someone. James eventually sat down under the tree by the lake and stared out, occasionally seeing the giant squid moving about.

* * *

When Lily left the Three Broomsticks she felt mixed feelings and thought as she walked around the grounds. She and Snape had been friends at one point, and while she learned his true nature over the summer she still cared for him, she probably always would. Sirius' callousness made her so angry, not just for Snape but also for Remus, knowing he must have been beside himself when he found out what had happened. Lily wondered what had happened after that, what had stopped Remus from biting Snape. As she was walking, she noticed James sitting by the lake looking both angry and hurt. She decided that she needed answers, so she gathered her courage and headed over to where James was sitting. James heard her coming but didn't acknowledge her until she was sitting next to him when he turned and gave her what must have been his attempt at a smile but looked more like a grimace.

"I'm guessing at his point, you're looking for answers." James said softly still staring out over the lake.

"I would, if you can talk about it." Lily said.

"It's a long story, and I need your word that you'll keep this quiet, very few know the true story, if more people know a lot of people could get into a lot of trouble." James said seriously.

"You have my word, I won't tell anyone."

"Okay. Professor McGonagall let me out of detention early, understanding that Snape had provoked me. So I thanked her and left bumping into Peter in the hallway, he looked frantic. I asked him what was wrong and he told me that Sirius had lead Snape down to the Whomping Willow in retaliation for the things he said to me and the resulting punishment. When I heard this I ran as fast as I could out to the Whomping Willow in time to see Snape running from Remus who was in his werewolf form, Remus was catching up easily. I changed into a stag, my animagus form and put myself in between Remus and Snape. Sirius, who had been in his animagus form, a large black dog, turned into a human and dragged Snape back to the castle. Snape immediately went to Dumbledore while I led Remus back into the Whomping Willow and stayed their with him until morning when he changed back. When we got back into the castle the next morning I took Remus to the hospital wing to recover and then went to see Dumbledore. He already knew most of the story but I filled in a few grey areas and then Dumbledore sent me to get some sleep." James finished still without looking at Lily.

"What happened to Sirius"? Lily asked softly.

"He was given detention for the rest of the year and had to apologize to Snape. Snape was sworn to secrecy about everything and given a calming draught and sent to bed."

"What about Remus?" Lily asked and heard James sigh.

"You know Remus as well as anybody else, he rarely gets angry, but for awhile I was afraid he and Sirius would never be friends again. He was so angry. But more than that, he was scared at how close he had come to changing someone and knowing the entire encounter was orchestrated by a friend seeking revenge. He took it really hard personally and was very depressed for awhile, until Dumbledore spoke to him about it. Whatever was said to him helped and eventually Remus was able to move past what happened. I don't think he's forgiven Sirius yet, and considering that Sirius clearly hasn't learned anything from that experience, Remus is not likely to forgive him anytime soon. He's also probably reliving the whole thing right now."

"What did Snape say to you, that made you so angry? That made Sirius so angry?" Lily felt James stiffen and didn't think he was going to answer but he just sighed again, which frightened Lily a little. She had never seen James so sad, confused, angry, downtrodden before.

"My parents were killed the summer before sixth year. They were Aurors fighting a group who supported someone with delusions of having purebloods ruling the wizarding world. Their deaths were kept quiet because the ministry didn't want to alarm the public. During one of our usual petty arguments, Snape mentioned that he was glad someone had killed my parents and said that they probably begged for their lives like the cowards they were, because how else could they have raised a coward like me." James finished and Lily noticed that tears were flowing down his face.

"I lost control, and charged at him wanting to hurt him as much as he had hurt me. Sirius was angry because my parents had taken him in as if he was their own when he turned his back on his pureblood obsessed family." There was quiet for awhile before Lily finally said something.

"I'm sorry." She wished she could say something more meaningful, but nothing came to her.

"Thanks Lily. Now I realize that, at some point all the pranks we pulled on Snape would backfire. I pushed too far that time and set him off. Looking back I realize how stupid it all was." He paused for a second but Lily knew he had more to say. "I'm sorry Lily. I know he's your friend, and I know how much it hurt you when we made fun of him, all I can say is that I've grown up and learned from my mistakes."

"We used to be friends." Lily corrected. "I never believed he was a bad guy, all I ever saw was what you did to him, I never saw what he did to you, probably because that's the way he wanted it." This time Lily paused to collect her thoughts while James waited. "Over the summer we met for lunch and I off handedly mentioned how I thought you might have started to grow up, now I know why, the story Sirius told us, and he just blew up. He called me a stupid mudblood who was falling into the same trap as everyone else, believing you were some god. The rest I could ignore, calling me a stupid mudblood like all his friends did just did it. I realized he was trying to be two different people and the darkness within him, that I had denied existed, was winning. I told him so, which just made him even more angry and he said some more nasty things. So I told him our friendship was over and to stay away from me." James heard the hitch in her voice when she said he had said other nasty things to her and couldn't help but ask.

"What else did he say to you Lily?"

"It's not important."

"It is important, he hurt you deeply. I'm not gonna go after him, I'm past that point, but I may be able to make you feel better." Lily sighed again but decided to answer anyway, considering all of the painful things James had shared with her.

"He accused me of wanting to be another notch on your bedpost. Just like every other girl in the school. Just waiting for a chance to be used and dumped by the 'great James Potter'." James didn't really know what to say to that. But Lily remembered her thought from earlier that day and decided to risk it and ask.

"James, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You have to promise not to get mad." Lily insisted.

"I'll try, but I can't promise."

"Okay, um, one of the stories Sirius told in Hogwarts mentioned how you punished boys who were dating and dumping girls" she paused and bit her lip, she knew he'd be angry but also knew he wouldn't let her stop now, "why would you punish them when you and Sirius did the same thing?" James wasn't angry just surprised. He knew he had a reputation, but he also knew it was bogus, he had only had two relationships and then gave up because he knew he like Lily too much, he just hadn't expected Lily to believe the rumors.

"I will admit, that Sirius is a bit of a ladies man, and I know I have a bit of a reputation. But the rumors about me are completely false, I've dated exactly two girls, and never used them, I cared about them. And even though Sirius dates a lot of girls, he still has respect for them. That's where the difference comes in, the Ravenclaw boys were doing it just to see the humiliation on the girls faces, Sirius and I would never do that."

"I'm sorry, I never should have asked. I never should have believed the rumors."

"It's okay, you didn't like me, so I imagine it was easy to believe the worst." James said and Lily felt bad.

"If it makes you feel better, I don't dislike you now, and I know that you really are a nice guy." Lily said.

"It does help. Listen, I need to try and find Remus, see if I can help him." James said as he scrubbed his face trying to get the dry tears off his face and stood up. Lily put her hand on his arm and said.

"It will be okay James, things will work out and if you need to talk, I'm here."

"Thanks, the same goes for you, if you need to talk. I'll see you later." James gave Lily a short hug and headed toward the castle. Lily followed at a slower pace. Her conversation with James had left her with a lot to think about.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, Warner Brothers, Scholastic Books and all other affiliated parties. No money is being made and no infringement is intended.

Chapter 7- The Aftermath

James' thoughts as he headed into the castle centered around the fact that Lily had said she would be there if he needed to talk. He knew she would, in fact, be there to talk if he needed her, and he knew there was a good possibility that he would need to talk to her. He knew his conversation with Remus was not going to go well. But he would never know if he didn't try, he just hoped he didn't run into Sirius. His anger at Sirius's selfishness and ego was still raging. His confrontation with Sirius would need to take place when he had cooled down and Sirius was sober, otherwise he was afraid their friendship would never be the same again.

James finally found Remus in the room of requirement. He wasn't sure why Remus would let him in, he had been sure that Remus would want to be alone, clearly he was wrong.

"What took you so long?" Remus asked. James chuckled quietly but sobered quickly.

"I was wallowing in depressing memories, then I talked to Lily." James said.

"So she knows everything now?" Remus asked.

"Everything." Remus was surprised that James didn't sound the slightest bit unnerved.

"What else happened James. Something's different."

"Lily and I connected. It's as simple as that. We were able to talk and come to terms with a lot of things that happened in our past. I think we'll finally be able to move forward from this point." James paused, but had one more thing to say. "Honestly… I trust Lily as much as I do you, Sirius and Peter." Remus was first surprised, and then he winced when Sirius' name was mentioned.

"I'm glad James. Now maybe you two can get it together and go beyond friendship." Remus joked and even managed to crack a small smile.

"Maybe, but that's a topic for another time. How are you…really?" James asked. Remus signed and his head fell forward in clear anguish.

"It was like that morning when I woke up in the hospital wing and remembered what had happened the night before. I can remember the look on Snapes' face when he saw my other form. But more than anything, I remember the smug look on Sirius' face for half a second then, and the smug look Sirius had on his face today at the pub. It's as if nothing has changed, like he hasn't learned anything." Remus finished dejectedly.

"A part of me wants to jump in and defend Sirius by saying that he had been drinking and didn't know what he was saying, but I can't bring myself to defend him now. All I can remember is the look on _your _face, today at the pub as you left, and that morning when I went to visit you. You hated yourself, and a part of me hated Sirius for making you feel that way. Just like now, despite whatever Dumbledore told you last year it isn't working, you're starting to hate yourself again. I won't let that happen." James said emotionally. Remus was emotional too, he could almost feel James reaching out to him, offering him a patch to fix the hole in his self confidence.

"I am fighting it James, and thanks to you I'll win. The question now, is what do we do about Sirius. I don't know if I can talk to him right now." Remus admitted.

"I feel the same way. I think we should just give it some time. It will help us relax and lose some of our outrageous anger and it will give Sirius time to sober up and think about what he did today." After a period of silence Remus finally broke it.

"Well what do we do now?" Remus asked.

"Honestly, I have some work to add to my Charms essay, why don't we head to the library, that's the one place that Sirius will most definitely not go on his own." James said with a small smile.

"Okay." The two got up and made their way to the Library. When they arrived they bumped into Lily and Marlene sitting at a table talking and working on homework. James and Remus made their way over to join the two girls.

"Mind if we join you?" James asked.

"Not at all. I'm glad you're here Remus, I was hoping you would help me with this transfiguration question, it's about the werewolf transformation. Oh! I'm sorry… If you're not comfort…"

"No, Marlene it's okay, I don't mind." Remus said with a smile that James noticed was a little bit dopey. He had to smile at that, it turns out, Remus has a crush on Marlene, interesting. James looked over to Lily and he noticed she was smiling at him with a sparkle of mischief in her eyes and James knew she too had noticed. Seeing an opportunity to let the potential blossom, Lily and James left Remus and Marlene. As they walked out the library doors, Lily and James could here Marlene and Remus laughing together and the two smiled.

* * *

Sirius eventually left the pub, still not sober enough to realize the gravity of what he had done. Bits and pieces were beginning to make it through the haze but his reaction was still indignation, the alcohol would wear off eventually. He spent the afternoon alone, Peter had gone off on his own after they left the pub and he got tired of Sirius' whining. He couldn't help but feel angry at his friends for leaving him alone and abandoned. As dinner approached he didn't feel like sitting with them. As he entered the Great Hall he noticed Remus and Marlene sitting close together but not quite touching, he noticed James and Lily talking and laughing to each other and with Remus and Marlene as if they were old friends. Daniela and Denise were there as well. It was one big happy family, one without him. He decided he didn't want to eat with them and instead made his way to the kitchens to eat by himself. After he ate a huge helping of Shepherd's Pie, pumpkin juice and pudding, Sirius was thinking about his friends and how angry he was at them, when reality struck and he remembered the things he had said at the pub. His heart plummeted to his feet.

"Oh god, what have I done?" Sirius lamented. Despite how horrified he was at the gloating he had done at Remus' expense, he couldn't help but still feel that Snape deserved what he got. He shouldn't have used Remus' condition for his benefit, but at the time the ends justified the means. How was he supposed to apologize when a part of him was still thinking about what he had done? His punishment had been detention for the rest of Sixth year. At detention, instead of writing lines or doing homework, he was told to sit and think and write down his thoughts on the subject. What he never realized, was that he had rebelled at the time, and thought of other things, like the girl he was with at the time, or the girl he wanted to get with, and had in reality spent very little time actually thinking about the repercussions of his actions. He decided that now it was time to think about what he had done, and what had happened because of it. He only hoped his friends would still be there when he was ready to talk, or ask questions. The more he thought about it at that moment, the more he realized how much he had disconnected himself from the situation. He had focused on what had happened to him, he was forced to give up his Saturdays, and neglected to think about what it had done to Remus and James. 'Well, no more. It's time I grew up, just like James did.' Sirius thought to himself as he headed to his bed in Gryffindor Tower and laid in bed, thinking.

* * *

"So how did your talk with Remus go?" Lily asked James as they headed toward the common room.

"It went as well as could be expected. He knows I'm here for him and knows that I, that we, care for him deeply and will always. But a part of him can't get past what he thinks is his savageness. He thinks, at times, that he's nothing more than an animal. An animal that can't control its actions. Then to have someone, a friend, a _best_ friend, call out all of you insecurities just makes the whole thing worse. He's fighting with the part of him that hates what he becomes, he's forced to try and convince himself that he is not a werewolf, he _becomes_ a werewolf once a month. I'm confident now that he'll make it through." James finished.

"Well good. I hope he knows that I'm here too."

"He does, and apparently Marlene will be there for him too." James said with a smirk that Lily had to admit was pretty sexy.

"Yeah, she's liked him for awhile. She just didn't think he noticed." Lily countered with a smile. "I'm so glad they both got their heads out of the arses because it was driving me crazy."

"I'm afraid I have to plead the ignorant male and be honest and say I never noticed either, so clearly Remus has something on me, at least he figured it out eventually." James joked.

"I think if it was you, you would have figured it out." Lily said hoping he would be able to read her mind and ask her out like she wanted.

"Maybe, who knows." He fought against his instinct to ask her out. He needed to wait a little longer. He needed to wait for a day when nothing terrible happens and they can be selfish and focus on themselves, that was assuming she said yes.

The two entered the common room chatted for awhile and were later joined by the rest of their friends, with Remus and Marlene holding hands. They sat and chatted trying to find some semblance of normalcy after the emotionally draining day, unaware of the deep thoughts of the black haired boy upstairs.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of Harry Potter, Warner Brothers, Scholastic Books and all other affiliated parties. No infringement is intended and no money is being made.

WARNING: There is a bit of violence in this chapter, nothing too graphic but I thought a warning was in order anyway.

The Way Life Works, Chapter 8- The Encounter

A week had passed since the horrible incident in The Three Brooksticks. The Marauders we're all but separated. There were no loud angry fights, just am almost visible distance between Sirius and Remus and James. James and Remus' friendship was as strong as ever, if not stronger and it hurt Sirius a little to know that his stupidity had put a wall up between him and his friends. Peter didn't seem to care either way and divided his time between them, but whenever he thought they'd start whining about the fight he would leave to hang out with the other side. Other times he would disappear on his own and his friends didn't know where he was, they just assumed he was with the other friends.

The anger that James and Remus had felt had slowly dissipated. The reason they didn't speak with Sirius was that they knew what he was doing. It had taken them a few days to realize it, and in reality, Lily had pointed it out, but they finally figured out that Sirius was, for the first time, thinking about what he had done. They made sure Sirius knew their anger was no longer there and all they wanted to do was talk about what happened, but they also knew that Sirius needed to think about what happened and make his own decisions and come to his own conclusions about both incidents. So they gave him the time he needed. Sirius appreciated all the time they were giving him and was happy to know that his friends were still his friends, even after he had screwed up as badly as he had.

Looking in as an outsider, Lily was really impressed with how the boys were handling the situation. They were handling it like adults. They avoided the huge confrontation and instead reverted to introspection and thought. She was really starting to understand how grown up they were becoming and she had even said so to James during one of their patrols. He had thanked her for being proud of him and joked that he had to grow up sometime.

One night during the week, James was asked to help Professor McGonagall with something during their usual patrol time, so Professor McGonagall asked if Lily minded doing the patrols alone, or if she should assign a set of prefects for that night, Lily said she didn't mind doing it alone, just this one time.

Lily was walking along a dark corridor in one of he lower levels of the castle when she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up, and felt as if she was being watched. Before she knew what happened she was pushed roughly up against the hard stones of the castle wall. Staring into her face were dark, hateful eyes of her former friend Severus Snape.

"So your boyfriend ditched tonight, did he?" Snape asked nastily. "I told you he was just using you and would leave you behind just like all the others." Lily's fright soon turned into blazing anger.

"It's too bad your wrong, now your ego has to take yet another hit. James happens to be helping Professor McGonagall. Now take your hands off me." Lily growled.

"I don't think so. I need to talk to you, and since you refuse to listen, I'm afraid I'm going to have to make you, and that means keeping you trapped here." Snape said, his voice a little warmer, but she could tell he was not happy that James was doing something other than messing around. She also knew he wasn't happy that she had called James by his first name. When they had been friends, it was always Potter, usually said with distaste or hatred, distaste in her case and hatred in Snape's. Lily may not have liked James but she never hated him, it just wasn't in her nature to hate.

"I know what I said upset you, but it just slipped out, I didn't mean it." Snape said. Lily laughed and Snape tightened his grip with rage. "Don't laugh at me!" Snape yelled. Lily wasn't frightened, is she was careful she could reach her wand. As she slowly shifted her hand to her pocket where her wand was she spoke.

"I don't believe you. The human mind doesn't work that way Snape, and you know it." Her wand was almost in reach. "We both know that everything we say and do are influenced by the deepest facets of our minds. When we are angry or upset our true thoughts and feelings are revealed. There is a part of you, likely most of you now if your behavior right now is any indication, that believes that I'm inferior because I'm muggle-born. The fact is, you believe that, but I don't." She reached her arm up with wand in hand but Snape grabbed her hand and slammed it up against the stone wall which forced her to drop her wand, then he backhanded her across the face.

"Shut up! You know nothing. It's clear now that I'm wasting my time, Potter got to you and poisoned you against all reason. If you want to be an ignorant fool then so be it, but I won't let you go without leaving a mark behind to remind you, and James, of me." Lily's eyes grew large but it was no use, she knew no one was around. Snape managed to hit her a few times and she fell to the ground and curled into a ball as he kicked her, his anger growing with every blow. But before he knew what happened he was blown off his feet, impacting against the wall hard. He heard the sound of two sets of footsteps approach as he lost consciousness. One set of footsteps approached Lily's curled up moaning form.

"It's gonna be okay Lily." James whispered to her she could hear the anger and fear in his voice as she too fell into darkness.

" Professor, I'm going to take her to the Hospital Wing, she in bad shape." James said as he picked her up, and even Professor McGonagall noticed his state of distress.

"Of course James, please take Mr. Snape with you." She waved her wand and as James walked to the Hospital Wing Snape followed floating in the air. James noticed that Snape bumped into a few corners along the way. Despite how furious he was, he had to smile a little. Professor McGonagall rarely let her bias or affection for her students show, but she was clearly outraged. He was comforted by that fact, but only slightly. He had accepted that Snape was a part of Lily's past and that if he wanted anything to do with her he had to let his extreme dislike for Snape go, but after what happened tonight he wasn't sure that would be possible anymore. He knew that refusing to hate was what separated the good from the evil, and despite their past he had never hated Snape, tonight looking at Lily's bloody, bruised and swollen face, he was sure that not hating Snape was going to be much more difficult.

James refused to leave Lily's side that night despite Madame Pomfrey's clear dislike of the idea and the fact that he assured him she would be fine. He fell asleep well after midnight in a chair, with his hand resting lightly on top of Lily's.

* * *

Snape woke after half an hour in the hospital, and found himself unable to get out of bed, 'a spell no doubt', he thought, and Professor Dumbledore staring at him, angry but doing a fairly good job of hiding it.

"Why, Severus,? Why would you do something like this?" Dumbledore said calmly, but with a clear undercurrent of anger.

"She needed to learn her place professor." Snape said, not realizing how crazy he sounded. "All muggle-borns must learn their place.

"You must see how absurd that sounds coming from you Mr. Snape, given your back ground. Some would call you a hypocrite." Dumbledore said reasonably.

"Some would, but they don't truly understand. Half is better than none professor. In time, you'll learn the same thing, come to the same conclusions. It will just take some adjustment, but in time, all will know and understand the correct order the wizarding world must take in order to run properly."

"You are wrong Severus. Hopefully you will understand to way things must be for the _entire_ world to run properly." Snape seemed to lose interest in the conversation knowing he wasn't getting anywhere, it would take time for people to come around.

"Am I to be expelled Headmaster?" Snape asked lazily.

"No, the Board of Govenor's is reluctantly giving you a second chance. Please elect to make the right choices in the future. You'll be serving detention with Professor McGonagall for the rest of the year." Professor Dumbledore left his side, and Snape could have sworn he heard Dumbledore say 'good luck with that' but was to busy drowning himself in his self pity.

* * *

When Lily woke the next morning with a weight on her hand, she flinched involuntarily, her memory from last night returning to her, making her think it was Snape. But the weight on her hand was light and warm, everything Snape's wasn't. She pried her eyes open to see James in the chair next to her bed, his hand on hers and his head fallen forward, he was asleep. The fact that it was James who had rescued her made her feel warm inside in addition to the normal feeling of relief. She smiled and turned her head to the side to see Professor Dumbledore smiling at her softly. Her smile dropped and she stiffened realizing she was going to have to explain her story. James must have felt her stiffen because his head snapped up and he looked at her. Their eyes met and he smiled at her, his goofy, happy smile and looked obviously relieved that she was awake and okay. Her face was much less swollen and the dried blood was gone. The bruises were still there but much lighter than before.

"Lily, I'm afraid I must ask you to tell me what happened last night." Professor Dumbledore said softly. James' hold on her hand tightened momentarily and he looked as though he was about to leave but she gripped his hand hard. He looked at her and she pleaded with her eyes for him to stay. He sat back down and laced his fingers through hers and held her hand tightly.

Lily began her story and never once did James remove or loosen his hand from hers. She felt comfortable, or at least more comfortable, with James with her, with a friend with her. After she had finished her story, Dumbledore thanked her, reluctantly told her that Snape would not be expelled and then told her Madame Pomfrey had said she could leave if she wanted. She asked James if he minded waiting while she dressed, he didn't and stepped out of her curtained off area. When she was dressed she face James. She hoped he didn't think less of her that she couldn't defend herself. She was surprised when he embraced her strongly yet softly enough not to hurt her severely bruised ribs.

"I'm so glad you're all right Lily, I was so scared when I saw you like that." James said and Lily could have sworn there were tears in his eyes.

"I'm alright James, or at least I will be. Snape isn't aloud near me, and I know that you, Remus and Sirius will see to that personally, I have nothing to worry about except you. I can feel how angry you are, but you must let it go, instead focus on the fact that I'm okay, and more importantly I'm okay because of you." Lily said still partially in his arms and completely content to stay like that. He smiled, kissed her cheek lingeringly and then led her back to the common room. Okay, Lily admitted, the kiss on the cheek was better, she smiled.

Naturally her friends were upset when they saw her and even more so when she told them the story with Remus holding Marlene, and Sirius listening not so covertly from the couch in the corner. When Lily finished her story, Sirius stood and walked over.

"Well I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not going to let that git anywhere near her." Sirius said and broke the tension his presence had caused.

"I agree"

"Me too." James and Remus agreed quickly.

With that, the ice between the three friends was broken. They still needed to talk about everything, but they were reunited because of a friend. That's what they had all become, friends, best friends. It's amazing how things can change over a short period of time. The friends couldn't help but notice that James was holding Lily's hand the entire time, and she didn't seem to mind.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, Warner Brothers, Scholastic Books and all other affiliated parties. No infringement is intended and no money is being made.

The Way Life Works Chapter 9- The Shift

Dumbledore was worried. The things that Snape had said to him bothered him greatly. They reminded him sharply of the fight with his former friend Grindelwald. Dumbledore had learned a long time ago that blood was not a determining factor when it came to a person's magical ability, he could think of a dozen students off the top of his head with mixed blood with more power than most pure bloods. Lily Evans was probably one of the best examples of that, and he was surprised that Severus could miss something right under his nose. Thankfully it was becoming clear that Mr. Potter hadn't. Someone was putting these thoughts into Severus' head, and if he could fool someone as smart as Severus, whoever this person is, could grow to become a great threat. Dumbledore knew he would need to contact some old friends to investigate further.

* * *

While Lily laid in bed the night after the incident with Snape her thoughts were a whirl of feelings. To a certain degree, she felt stupid that she had underestimated Snape's abilities, but realized that he must have planned in advance somehow, waiting to find her somewhere alone, without James. He also must have used his knowledge of her to gain the advantage. Lily knew she was tough, she could, for the most part, take care of herself, and she was smart enough to know that everyone, no matter their level of skill, is at a disadvantage when they are attacked from behind. Intermixed with these thoughts were thoughts of gratitude but also questions. Why did James and Professor McGonagall show up when they did, from what she remembered, it seemed like they would be working in Professor McGonagall's classroom. Did they know she was in trouble? And if they did, how did they know? With her thoughts all a mess she fell asleep, confused but somehow feeling safe, she could figure out the rest later.

In the other dorm James was wondering what had happened the night before. He hadn't had much time to think about it while he was with Lily in the Hospital Wing, he had been too worried about her, but now he knew she was safe and his thoughts turned back to that night. He had been helping Professor McGonagall with her lesson plan on human transformation when he had what could be described as a panic attack. He remembered that he had been writing something on the chalk board and started to shake and he broke into a cold sweat, he needed to sit down. When he did, he just knew that Lily was in trouble. He didn't know how he knew, he just knew. Professor McGonagall noticed James' state and asked if he needed to go to the Hospital, but he had instead insisted that they go to the second floor, he knew that's where Lily was, and he knew she needed his help. For whatever reason, Professor McGonagall didn't think he was crazy and followed him. When they found Lily and Snape, he heard her intake of breath, and he blasted Snape away, she never said a word, but he had seen a strange look in her eye when he told her he was taking Lily to the Hospital Wing and he wanted to know what she was thinking.

* * *

What neither of the two students knew, was the conversation Professor McGonagall had with Professor Dumbledore after the incident. After James had left with Lily in his arms and Snape floating behind him, she went to Dumbledore's office to tell him of the incident, as well as to get some answers. Just like with everything else that happens inside Hogwarts, Dumbledore already knew something had happened.

"Good evening Minerva, what's happened?"

"Mr. Snape attacked Lily Evans tonight Albus. From the way it looked, he had ambushed her, they must have argued and by the time Mr. Potter and I got there Severus was brutally attacking her."

"Mr. Potter was there?"

"He's the whole reason we found them in the first place."

"What do you mean?" Dumbledore asked, very curious.

"He was helping me plan how to introduce the subject of human transformation to the sixth years, when he had some sort of attack, almost like a panic attack. I suggested we take him to the Hospital Wing, but he muttered frantically that Lily was in trouble and that we had to get to the second floor to help her now. I followed him to make sure he got there okay when we found Snape attacking her."

"He knew she was in trouble."

"Not only did he know she was in trouble, but he also knew exactly where she was. What do you think it means?"

"It could mean a lot of different things, but I should think at least one possibility has crossed your mind." Dumbledore continued before McGonagall could respond. "They've grown much closer, and are more than likely on the cusp a relationship worthy of a fairy tale."

"You always were a romantic Albus." McGonagall said with a smile. "You think they're soul mates." Professor McGonagalls stated, more than asked.

"I do indeed. They are not yet together physically, but their hearts already recognize what their minds refuse to accept. So when Lily needed James' help, her heart cried out to his, and his answered. You've heard the stories, I'm sure. The same thing started happening with James' parents just after they got together."

"What do we tell them if they ask? You know they're going to ask."

"We'll tell them that it could be a lot of different things, it's nothing to worry about, and that they should just be glad that it did happen." Dumbledore explained.

"You really think that's going to work?"

"The fact is, I don't think we'll have to wait much longer for the two of them to figure things out. When they finally, _finally_ do, we can go back and tell them of our theory, if they're still interested."

"Okay Albus, if you think that's best. I'll bid you good night, I'm sure you'll need to speak to the school governors and Severus."

"Indeed. Good night Minerva."

* * *

The next morning came too early for Lily and James. They were the first ones up again and found each other in the common room. When Lily noticed James she couldn't help but ask the question that had been nagging her.

"Good morning James. Can I ask you something?"

"Good morning Lily. Sure, you know you can ask me anything." James said with a sleepy smile that made Lily blush.

"Thanks, um… it's about the other night. How did you and Professor McGonagall know I was in trouble?" Lily asked and immediately noticed how uncomfortable James looked.

"It's hard to explain, and kind of embarrassing?" James admitted.

"Were you following me?"

"No, nothing like that." James said. He signed. "Alright, here goes. I was in McGonagall's classroom helping her plan a lesson and I had a panic attack. Then I somehow just knew you were in trouble and I knew where you were. I don't know how or why, it was like you were yelling right in my ear to help you. McGonagall noticed and I said something to her, I don't even remember what and then went to where I knew you would be." Lily look surprised and even a little bit flattered, but more than anything she was confused.

"I've never heard of anything like that." Lily said.

"Neither have I. What's weird though, is that I have memories from when my parents were alive, and I could swear that sometimes they just knew what the other was thinking. It used to freak me out."

"Do you think we should ask Dumbledore?

"We could if you wanted to, personally, I really don't care how or why it happened, I'm just glad that it did and that you're alright." James said.

"I'll just do some research, I'm sure I'll be able to find something about it."

"Okay." James agreed. When he remembered that his parents could seemingly read each others thoughts he had an idea what was going on, and as happy as it made him, he was also scared. He and Lily were close, and he was almost positive that she had feelings for him and he knew he had feelings for her, so maybe that had something to do with it. He just wasn't sure he was ready to broach that subject with Lily just yet, when he couldn't even gather the courage to ask her to the Christmas Dance that had just been announced. He'd have to fix that soon.

Lily wasn't oblivious to the connection either. Clearly, if James' parents had a similar connection, the fact that they were in love and married had something to do with it. She definitely needed to do some research. But the thought alone gave her hope. If she wasn't reading to much into things, there very well might be a chance for her and James. Hopefully he would get the guts to make a move soon, otherwise she might have to step up and do it for him. And even though she was pretty sure he felt the same way she did, she wasn't keen on the idea of taking the leap. She wondered how men got the strength and courage to do it.

That day passed quickly, and thankfully without incident. With the start of December approaching and the Christmas Dance not long after, the two friends really needed to get things together before anything else got in the way.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, Warner Brothers, Scholastic Books and all other affiliated parties. No infringement is intended and no money is being made.

I wanted to take a moment to thank those who have reviewed, I really appreciate your comments and thoughts. It really does mean a lot, so thank you.

The Way Life Works Chapter 10-Nerves

James woke the next morning. He quite honestly was nervous. He had decided that today was the day. Today he was going to ask Lily to the Christmas Dance, and to consider being more than just friends. No one knew, and he wanted to keep it that way. This was something that should only be between James and Lily, and if things went wrong for some reason, James would not allow it to mess up their friendship; it meant too much to him, she meant too much to him. With his thoughts organized and his nerves frayed, he got ready for the day and went to breakfast.

He entered the Great Hall in time to see a Seventh Year Hufflepuss walk away from Lily, who was sitting alone at the Gryffindor Table. He looked disappointed and proud at the same time. That fact made James feel a little better. When he reached the table he realized that Lily looked both uncomfortable and uncertain.

"Are you okay Lily?" James asked, he was convincingly casual.

"Yeah I'm fine." She answered, not doing a convincing job being honest.

"What did Stephen want?" Lily hesitated, but then lifted her head and looked James dead in the eyes.

"He asked me to the Christmas Dance." Lily noticed James' eyes flicker with what she thought was a mixture of shock, dismay and sadness, her heart jumped.

"Well…oh. Umm what did you say?" James asked.

" Does it matter?" Lily asked casually, this time it was convincing.

"Well, sort of, honestly, I was sort of hoping to ask you myself." James responded honestly. Lily's surprise was extremely obvious.

"Wh..why would you do, why would you do that?" James sighed.

"I was hoping that would be obvious." James chuckled softly and nervously, then he sighed. The Great Hall was still mostly empty so James couldn't postpone this conversation.

"You always thought when I asked you out in the past that I was trying provoke a reaction. Well that was partially true in the beginning, to be honest, you're even more attractive than normal when your angry, it's your eyes you see." James explained. "But somewhere along the way, I think it was likely the start of sixth year, that I realized that there was a true attraction there. I wasn't just asking to get you angry. The problem was you didn't know anything was different. After that, each rejection hurt more and more and I had to hide my rejection, and the only way I could do that so you wouldn't notice was to act like an arse to you. It got to a point where I just couldn't go through that anymore and I stopped asking." James paused as he took a sip of his pumpkin juice. "This year have been the best year ever at Hogwarts. We started out having a cautious business partnership that has turned into a great friendship, one of my best friendships. And as selfish as it sounds, I still want more. This year I got to know you, really know you, and the more I learned the more I wanted to know. I want to be with you Lily. Ideally, I want us to be a couple. I want to be your boyfriend and you to be my girlfriend because I think we could be great together." James paused again, this time he paused with apprehension. "If you don't want to be with me, than just say so, I swear on my parents' graves that nothing will change with us. All I'm asking for is a chance, a chance to show you how amazing we can be together." James finished and Lily was speechless. No one in her life had ever said something to her like that before.

"No." Lily said. James' heart sank, thankfully Lily noticed and clarified.

"I said no when Stephen asked me to the Christmas Dance. The fact is I'm not going to be here for the dance, my sister's getting married, so I'm leaving the morning of the dance."

"Oh." James said, he couldn't think of anything else to say considering that Lily had made no mention of everything he had spilled to her.

"Are you set on going to the Dance, James?" Lily asked.

"Not really, I was only planning on going if you agreed to go with me." James said.

"Well since I'm not going to be here, would you consider being my date to my sister's wedding?" Lily paused, now it was her turn. "Here's the thing James, it's taken me awhile, by I finally see what everyone else always saw. I can see how charming you are, how genuine you are, how much you care about other people. You didn't always be that way, but all boys grow up, and I finally noticed that you'd grown up. You'd become a good man. I started hoping you would make a move, despite how many times I had rejected you, how many times I sad awful things to you and belittled you, I still hoped you'd ask me again. I had all but given up hope, until this morning. When Stephen asked me out this morning I couldn't for a second consider saying yes. He's a great guy, but he isn't you, and I realized that if you couldn't make the leap and ask me then I had to because it was likely my fault that you couldn't. But this morning you took the leap and you asked me, and on top of all that you made me feel like the most important person in the world." Lily paused. Lily and James were looking at each other intently. "Thank you for not giving up on me James. I would love to be your girlfriend. And since we can't go to the Dance, I figured I would see if you'd be willing to go with me to my sister's wedding. In truth, you'd be doing me a huge favor, because I'm going to have to put up with a sister that hates me, a mom who's in denial about it and a dad who has no idea what to do about it. I need someone on my side."

"I'd love to go with you Lily. I'll be there for you, and who knows maybe I can lighten things up a little." The two were silent for a time neither really knowing where to go from there.

"So what happens now? How does this whole us being boyfriend girlfriend work?" Lily asked.

"I don't know. I think we should take things slowly and just go with the flow, we can do what's comfortable and progress at our own pace. I don't want to screw this up." James said.

"Sounds good to me, what do we tell our friends?"

"We tell them the truth, that we've decided to see each other, that we're taking things slowly, and that they need to stay out of our business." James said and they both chuckled.

"Okay. Sounds like a plan." Lily said and weaved her arm through James', something she had wanted to do for awhile. James didn't seem to mind and instead, scooted closer to her and they continued to talk, mostly about Lily's family and what he could expect while he was with them for the wedding.

* * *

Remus, Sirius, Peter, Marlene, Daniela, and Denise all entered the Great Hall to see Lily leaning up against James with her head resting on his shoulder with them talking quietly as if the world around them didn't exist. The friends were all ecstatic and padded their way over to the two.

When their friends arrived at the table James and Lily made no move to change positions and instead just quietly explained that they were planning to see where their relationship could go, but that they were taking things slowly. The girls all seemed really excited when it was revealed that James was going to Lily's sister's wedding, and the four girls sat talking and giggling.

"Good on you James, it's about time." Sirius said.

"You look really happy James, I haven't seen you this happy since before your parents died." Remus said quietly and carefully, not wanting to upset him.

"I know, and to be honest, I don't think I have been this happy since before their deaths. My mum would have loved Lily, by dad too. I have a chance at a relationship as amazing as theirs was, I'm not about to screw this up."

The rest of breakfast passed with the friends chatting happily all the while James and Lily kept physical contact with each other. Holding hands, James' arm around her, or Lily's arm through James'. Up at the professors table, Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall exchanged smiles. Stephen at the Hufflepuff table smiled wistfully knowing he never stood a chance, but proud that he had a least taken a chance, and Severus Snape saw nothing but red. Hatred poured through his veins, but he would rein it in. He could wait and be patient. Potter would screw up and lose Lily forever and he would be there to pick up the pieces.

* * *

When the friends left the Great Hall that morning to head to classes, James hung back for a moment to speak with Stephen from Hufflepuff. Stephen was frightened at first thinking James was going to threaten him for going after his girl but he was wrong.

"I just wanted you to know how much I admire you." James said.

"Why?" Stephen asked baffled.

"You went after what you wanted without a second thought, when I couldn't. It took me forever to work up the nerve to finally talk to Lily and to be honest I wasn't sure I ever would. You went right to it. I admire you for that don't lose that. That was truly courageous, and you'll find a girl to take to the dance without a problem. If things had been different between Lily and I, I have no doubt she would have accepted your invitation. So good luck finding a date, not that you need it, and don't change for anyone. You're an okay guy Stephen. Worthy of a Gryffindor if I do say so myself." James said, smiled and then left his hand meeting Lily's as they left the Hall. Everyone who knew Stephen saw how he walked around after that, his head held high and his back straight. That night he asked the prettiest girl in Hufflepuff to the Christmas Dance, a girl he had known and been friends with for a long time, who he had always thought was out of his league.

She said yes.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, Warner Brothers, Scholastic Books and all other affiliated parties. No money is being made and no infringement is intended.

The Way Life Works Chapter 11- The Date

James and Lily progressed happily in their relationship. They were taking their time in order to become more comfortable with each other. It's always an adjustment for friends to become more, there are always awkward hurdles to overcome, because actions that were strictly forbidden before were forbidden no longer. Both Lily and James went into the relationship expecting all of these things and were therefore comfortable with its progression. Their friends, on the other hand, were extremely frustrated. The two had been dating for nearly two weeks, Christmas was just two weeks away, and yet the two hadn't kissed yet. The closest they came was when James would kiss Lily's cheek when they said good night. The friends thought it was time for things to progress more quickly, and agreed to take aggressive action if the situation wasn't remedied within another week.

James knew he wanted to kiss Lily. The only problem was finding the right time and place for it to happen. He wanted Lily to remember their first kiss, because he was certain it was something he would never forget. When his father was still alive, he used to tell him that the perfect moment couldn't be planned, it would just happen, and the fact that it happened at all was what made it the perfect moment. James believed his dad, but didn't see the harm in planning a romantic setting, after all, James was always embarrassed when his mom always sighed that his father was 'so romantic'. Now he just hoped that his father had passed on some of that skill to him. At the moment, he was planning a romantic picnic in the Room of Requirement. He had spoken to Lily's friends to find out some of her favorite things; things he didn't already know. He had found out, for example, that her favorite drink was apple cider, which wasn't readily available at Hogwarts, so James had to do some scrounging to get some. Once he got everything he needed set up, he went to pick up his date.

Lily was a little nervous. Her date with James today was really their first official date. They had spent plenty of time together, but rarely alone and never without school work or head duties in their minds. So this afternoon, they'd agreed to put everything else aside and focus on each other. She just hoped they could find things to talk about. As nervous as she was, Lily was also extremely excited. She was hoping that James would finally kiss her, she knew that he had been wanting to kiss her for awhile, as she had, but they were never left alone. It seemed like their friends had no lives of their own because they were always around. She was getting extremely annoyed and she could tell that James was too. Now that they would be alone, it would be the perfect opportunity.

James headed up the stairs and knocked on Lily's door. He was dressed nicely, but casually, in a pair of dark jeans and a black polo shirt. Lily called for James to wait a moment. Inside the room, Lily was staring at herself critically in the mirror, making sure she looked alright. With her khaki pants and navy peasant blouse she decided she looked okay. With a deep breath she turned and opened the door. Both let out a sigh of relief when they saw each other's reaction. James thought Lily looked really pretty. She had only used a little makeup to accentuate her eyes, not that they needed it, and she was dressed cutely. Lily thought James looked very smart. She almost giggled outright when she noticed that he had tried, unsuccessfully, to comb his hair. His clothes were casual and fit James's personality perfectly. Once they had stopped staring at each other James kissed Lily's cheek in greeting.

"Are you ready to go? You look amazing by the way."

"Yes I'm ready, and thank you, you look quite smart yourself." Lily replied. James took her hand and led her out of the common room and through the hallways to the Room of Requirement. They passed their classmates on their way and said hello, but didn't stop. People seemed to recognize that the two wanted to be alone and left them to it. They reached the Room of Requirement and James took a second to make the room show what he wanted. A door appear which looks similar to that of a farm house.

"Cover your eyes." James commanded softly. And Lily did so. James led Lily to table and then told her to open her eyes. Lily gasped. The room looked like the dining room of her grandparents house. It was warm, with two deep blue walls contrasted by two bright white walls. The table was round with a white and blue checkered table cloth. On the table was a picnic basket, plates, utensils, and ornate glasses. James urged her to sit down. Next to them, was a window, that looked out into a nonexistent view of a grassy expanse of land interrupted only by small rolling hills in the distance. The only thing that could have made it perfect, was them actually being there in the grassy field, but considering it was December, they were lucky to get what they did, and Lily absolutely loved what James had put together.

"This is fantastic James. Is this view a real landscape?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, it the view from my parents house, outside the back door. I'll have to show it to you sometime. It's beautiful in winter, all covered with snow, but it's truly amazing in the spring when everything is lush and bright green." James said with a smile. "Well, are you hungry?" James asked.

"Starved. I confess, I was too nervous to eat lunch. So what are we having?"

"I made, well actually I enlisted the help of a few house elves and they made a nice thick beef stew, with fresh French bread to go with it. As a side we have potatoes al gratin, and last but not least we have fresh cherries jubilee for dessert." James said with a flourish. Lily laughed but realized James had missed something.

"That all looks and sounds delicious, but whatever are we having to drink?" Lily asked flirtatiously.

"That, my dear, is the best part." With another flourish, James pulled out a corked bottle of old fashioned apple cider. It just happened to be Lily's favorite kind. Lily giggled again but was also pleasantly surprised.

"Before you ask, I consulted your friends for help. They told me this was your favorite and that you loved comfort food on cold days, so there you have it. Now let's dig in." James said and started to dish up the food for the two of them.

The two enjoyed the lunch very much and Lily was glad to know that the two had plenty to talk about. They talked about their families, specifically, James told Lily about his parents, which was difficult for him, but they focused on happy memories for now. Lily was glad that he was opening up, and in return, she shared more information about her family, included her strained relationship with her sister. James honestly expressed his inability to understand how anyone could dislike Lily, which made Lily blush, but explained that Lily's mother had explained to her that her sister was probably jealous. James could understand that, Lily was the envy of many ladies in the castle.

After they had finished their lunch a comfortable couch appeared in front of a blazing fireplace where the two cuddled and continued to talk. In the middle of her tale of her first bit of accidental magic, she noticed that James was no longer listening and was instead just staring at her, his hand playing idly with her hair.

"You're not listening, are you?" Lily asked, and her question knocked James out of his daydream.

"'fraid not." Without saying anything else, he leaned down and kissed Lily gently on the lips. Lily responded happily and the kiss continued for quite some time, neither one in a hurry to end the kiss, nor were they in any hurry to make it more passionate. They eventually pulled back, and shared a few shorter, but no less amazing, kisses before James finally spoke again.

"I'd apologize for my inattention, but I dare say you won't mind much now. Am I right." James said with a lazy smile that Lily thought was extremely sexy. So sexy that she couldn't help but trace his lips with her finger.

"Very right." There was a short pause before Lily continued. "Not to ruin the moment, but it's about damn time. Our friends need to get lives. Otherwise we'll have to hide from them when we want time alone." Lily said and James laughed deeply. Lily loved that laugh, he didn't laugh this way very often only when he was relaxed and happy, and she was thrilled to no end that he would laugh that way with her, because of her.

"We will need to do something about that, but honestly, I really think they've only been around so much because they wanted to see us kiss."

"You're kidding!"

"No, you said it yourself, they have no lives, so they're forced to live vicariously through us."

"So what do we do?"

"We have two choices, we could not let on anything has happened and just act normal and they'll see us kiss when they see us kiss."

"Or." Lily said with interest.

"Or, we put on a little show."

"I say we go with option two what did you have in mind?" Lily asked.

* * *

When Sirius, Remus, Peter, Marlene, Daniela, and Denise entered the common room that evening after spending some time in the library they walked into the common room to see Lily and James snogging like nobody's business on the couch. Lily and James pulled apart and snapped a picture of all six of their friends with their mouths gaping open. The camera, they had borrowed from Sarah Valentine, who they'd run into on the way back from the Room of Requirement. Once James had introduced them the two girls knew they'd be great friends. Especially with the great blackmail material she would be given once the film was developed.

For the rest of their seventh year the picture hung on the common room door, no one seemed to be able to remove it. Instead, they got to see six mouths dropping open simultaneous only to have it reset and replay a few seconds later.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, Warner Brothers, Scholastic Books and all other affiliated parties. No money is being made and no infringement is intended.

The Way Life Works Chapter 12-Christmas Part 1

The two weeks before Christmas disappeared quickly, and before anyone knew it they were loading up their trunks to head home. James was planning to go home with Lily to meet her parents and be her date for the wedding. James had to admit he was extremely nervous. Being away at school for so long meant that he never had to meet his girlfriends' parents. Then again, none of his other girlfriends were Lily. He cared more about Lily than he had about any of his other girlfriends and he'd only been with Lily for a month. As these thoughts were passing through James's mind, he was carefully packing, making sure to include all of his nicest clothes, he had to owl a house elf from his home for his suit to be sent to Lily's house. James finished filling his trunk and met Lily and their friends in the common room. As Lily watched him walk over to them she couldn't help but notice how good he looked. He was dressed in his nicest dark jeans and a soft black sweater with his black school shoes. She could tell that he was dressing nicely thinking her parents would care, but no matter how many times she had told him that all that mattered to them was making her happy he still didn't believe her. That was okay with her, he looked great, and if it made him feel better then why fight it. The friends laughed all the way back to London, snacking on chocolate frogs.

"James stop fidgeting. Just wait until the train stops, you can meet my parents, they'll love you, you'll love them, and we'll spend the rest of vacation pretending my sister Petunia doesn't exist, while she does the same." Lily said excitedly waiting to see her parents. "Oh, there they are!" Lily said and she tore out of James's arms, off the train and made her way over, James followed behind. Lily's mother pulled her into a giant hug and when she finally let go her dad scooped her up and twirled her around, they had always greeted each other this way, ever since her first year. While Lily had been hugging her mother, James was shaking hands and introducing himself to Mr. Evans, and despite what James thought, Mr. Evans didn't seem to have any desire to kill. Then the two switched. James didn't have a chance to say anything before Lily's mother had him in her arms in a huge hug. James hugged her back and whispered that it was nice to meet her. Hugging Mrs. Evans had reminded James of how much he missed hugging his own mother.

After they had finished the meet-and-greet, they headed towards the Evans's car. James helped lily's dad fit both trunks in the boot of his car, magic really did come in handy, and before anyone knew it they were speeding down the road toward Lily's home in Little Whinging. It was a nice home, in James's opinion, a nice lawn with lilies and what he believed to be petunias as well as roses planted in the front yard. There were no flowers, obviously because it was December, but James's mother loved flowers and had always made James help her in the garden when he was younger.

Inside, the house was really a home. It was warm, with a fire blazing in the fireplace, a comfortable looking couch and arm chair sat in the living room with a coffee table cluttered with different sections of the London Times Newspaper.

"Lily, why don't you give James a tour of the house, while I start on dinner." Lily's mum said to her.

"Okay. Follow me James." James took her hand and they headed through a door into the kitchen. It was a large, well organized kitchen, the kitchen of someone who loved to cook. After that, they went into the guestroom downstairs which was to be James's while he stayed. It was room of average size, which held a desk, more than likely it acted as a sort of den for the family. But the sofa bed looked comfortable enough so they moved on to the rest of the house. Lily showed James the bathrooms, and the upstairs. She pointed out her parent's room but didn't go inside, the same with Petunia's room, at which time James knew that he had been right. When they entered Lily's room Lily pointed out several things, and then the two reclined on her bed and talked.

"You're mum's name must be Rose, am I right?" James asked.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"The flowers in the front yard; there are lilies, petunias and roses. So I just assumed." James said as he stretched his legs out with his back against the headboard. Lily snuggled into him with her head resting on his chest and one leg over his.

"You're right. How do you know so much about flowers anyway?" Lily asked. She loved being with James like this. They were comfortable with each other now, after they had shocked their friends, but they still weren't overly demonstrative. It really wasn't their style. But one thing Lily knew she'd never get enough of, was being in James's arms like this. As if to prove her point, James kissed the top of her head and then answered.

"My mother had a large garden at our home. She had all types of plants; both wizard and muggle. She made her own potions and grew some of her own ingredients. But more than anything she loved flowers. When I was younger she use to make me help her, and she would teach me all about flowers, as well as the plants she used in potions. Looking back, I realized I took that time with her for granted and resented that she pulled me out into the garden when I wanted to being doing something else. Now, all I wish is that we could have more time in the garden, just the two of us. As far as recognizing the plants in your front yard, my mum already had petunias and roses, but when I came home from my first year of Hogwarts, I asked her if we could plant some lilies. She asked me why, and I said I just think their pretty. So we planted several varieties of lilies. And each year when I got home from school, I got to see the lilies bloom and I'd think of you." James paused then said, "That was pretty cheesy even for me." And they both laughed, but they also knew that James was serious. He had liked Lily a long time, and even though he was an idiot about it for a long time, he eventually came around. Lily still appreciated the fact that he had planted flowers because of her. When they had stopped laughing Lily kissed him sweetly.

"Thank you James."

"For what?"

"For sharing that with me. I know how hard it is for you to talk about your parents."

"It gets easier every time I do. I used to think that talking about them would make me weak. Sirius still refuses to talk about them and Remus and Peter just never knew them like Sirius and I did. So I just didn't talk about them. With you though, it's easy for some reason. It also helps, because as painful as their death was, remembering them as they were keeps them alive in my heart and mind. So I should really be thanking you, for listening and being here." James said and this time he kissed Lily. It was still a sweet kiss, but it held a deeper feeling of understanding as well as the beginnings of passion that was growing between them. The two were interrupted however when Mrs. Evans brought Petunia in to meet James. Petunia had been out shopping for some last minute items for the wedding. Lily's mum, Rose opened the door.

"Lily, Petunia's here so we best…oh." Lily and James broke apart and while James looked a little embarrassed they didn't look ashamed or spring apart like they'd been doing something they shouldn't have. Rose was surprised but not in anyway upset, on the contrary she looked really happy because she could see how happy Lily was.

"What's going on, can't we just get this over with." Petunia barged in saw the two cuddled up together. "Eek, kissing in your bedroom Lily, really have you no shame, I suppose, though, that it's the only way you could get a boyfriend, by spreading yourself around." Petunia said spitefully with a smirk that would rival Snape's. Before Lily or Rose could say or do anything, James moved gently out of Lily's arms, stood up and stopped in front of Petunia staring her down. James towered over Petunia. When he spoke his voice was ice cold, he no longer cared about the impression he made, no one would ever say things like that about Lily and get away with it.

"You speak of having no shame, and yet you speak as if you've no class at all. Lily didn't need to do anything but be herself to catch my attention, she's had my attention since I was twelve years old. I grew up, because before recently I wasn't worthy of Lily's attention." Lily looked aghast by that statement, but James continued before she could say anything. "Clearly, you need to grow up as well. If you can't see how amazing Lily really is, then I pity you, because you're losing out on the chance to know someone who is truly amazing. Lily's one of the biggest reasons I am the man I am today. I hope you figure it out before it's too late." James turned his attention to Lily's mum.

"I'm sorry if I was disrespectful, but I hope you understand that I can't let anyone, regardless of who they are, defame Lily like that. She's done nothing to deserve it, and I can't just sit back and watch it happen just to avoid causing a seen when I only just met her parents. She means the world to me, forgive me if I've stepped out of bounds." James left through the door before anyone could say anything. As he left the room Lily's father, Robert was there just outside the door, he'd heard the whole thing. James paused and met his eye expecting to see reproach, but instead, James was surprised to see a strong sense of camaraderie and pride. As James started walking again, Robert gave James's shoulder a comforting pat.

* * *

Back in Lily's room Petunia was incensed, Rose was trying really, really hard not to smile and Lily looked both angry at Petunia and concerned about both her parent's reaction and James.

"How dare he come into our home and insult me this way. I hope you're going to do something about this mother!" Petunia said to Rose. Lily turned to look at her mother to see her mother looking directly at her. Their eyes met, and Lily could see her mum's acceptance of James and that she was in no way upset by what he had said.

"If you'll both excuse me, I need to make sure my boyfriend is alright."

"What! You're going after him when he said those things to me. We're family, we're supposed to protect each other." Petunia said. Rose was waiting for a blowup. Petunia's and Lily's relationship was very volatile ever since Lily went away, and the fights could be heard from blocks away. So Rose was surprised and proud when Lily didn't blow up. Instead she sighed and started talking. Clearly, James had helped Lily grow up as well.

"Petunia, you're right, family is supposed to protect each other. So let me ask you, where have you been when people ridiculed me for being different. To you I was, to you I am a freak. You've taken every opportunity the past six and a half years to point that out to me. You weren't so keen to protect me then, instead you were one of those attacking me. James is one of the best things that's ever happened to me since I found out I was a witch, as much as I made him grow up, he's made me grow up. And the best part is that we've grown up together. He's my family now, along with mum and dad, they've always protected me, even when I didn't want them to. You, were never there. I love you Petunia, you're my sister, I'll always love you, and I hope Vernon makes you as happy as James makes me, but James will always come before you, just as I suspect Vernon will always come first for you. That's the way life works." Lily hugged her mum and kissed her cheek whispering that they would talk later and walked out the door in search of James. Lily also ran into her father outside her room, and she stopped to hear him speak.

"You love him." Robert stated, rather than asked. Lily nodded.

"Well I guess it's a good thing he loves you too." Lily looked uncertain at this, as they had never said the words to each other. "He does Lily, he wouldn't do what he just did if he didn't love you. I know it doesn't matter to you, but I approve, I don't think he's good enough for you, but I think he's as close as anyone could get." Lily gave hugged him hard and kissed his cheek. "Go after him, and tell him that your mum and I are proud of him, and happy for you."

"I don't know where he is, he could have left." Lily said with uncertainty.

"He's out back pacing." Lily turned to go.

"And Lily?"

"Yes?"

"I don't think James is the type to just leave." Lily nodded and headed downstairs and out the backdoor to talk to James.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, Warner Brothers, Scholastic Books and all other affiliated parties. No money is being made and no infringement is being made.

The Way Life Works Chapter 13-Settling In

"So how mad at me are you?" James asked as soon as he heard Lily's footsteps on the back porch. "How mad are your parents?"

"I'm not mad James and neither are my parents. Well, now that I think about it, I am mad at you about one thing. You said you weren't _worthy _of my attention, as if I'm something to be worshipped."

"I didn't deserve you Lily, I'm still not sure I'll ever deserve you. Back then, I was a jerk to you and everyone else because I thought I was being this cool guy, playing pranks, getting away with most of them, I was popular, and I thought that's what school was all about. My parent's death, was a wakeup call. I realized that life wasn't about screwing around anymore, things were changing, I needed to start thinking about what I was going to do with my life, not what prank I was going to pull next. The combination of all those things, in my mind, made me unworthy of you. You always knew what was important and that's where your focus was."

"Despite what you may think James, I didn't always do the right thing. I just think I had more incentive than you. My sister, whom you've now met, always told me I was a freak, a black spot on the family tree, and I needed to prove to myself and to my family that I was worth something. My parents are great and think that my ability to do magic is fascinating, but they don't truly understand it. My sister hates what she doesn't understand, and so she hates me. What I learned as I grew up, was that I didn't need to prove anything to anyone, you taught me that James. I saw you and your friends messing around, doing things with no thought as to how people would react, I envied you that freedom so much. In reality, it isn't that you just changed and became _worthy_ of me it's that we've both changed and met in the middle."

"That makes sense." James said as he gathered Lily into his arms when he noticed she was shivering. "So your parents weren't mad?"

"Quite the opposite actually. My dad was happy that you stood up for me, even at the risk of losing his approval, to him it showed that you cared more about me than you did about impressing him, which is good. My mum, was the same way. Over the years she's been my rock. I've told her all about my insecurities relating to magic and she always told me to worry less about what others thought, because I'd eventually find someone who liked me just the way I was. She was right, of course, I just never imagined that it would be you." James laughed.

"I don't think anyone did, truth be told. I'm pretty sure most people thought we'd have killed each other by now. We did come close a few times." This time Lily laughed.

"We did." There was a bit of an awkward silence for awhile. Both wanted to say 'I love you' but both also thinking it was way too soon.

"Why don't we go back inside and get some hot chocolate to warm up."

"I like that plan." Hand in hand the two headed back into the house. Rose and Robert were already at the table, with a pot of hot chocolate and marshmallows on the side. The two sat down at the table and Rose had poured the two mugs before they could do it themselves.

"I hope you don't think we're angry James, because we're not. To be honest, it's about time somebody stood up for Lily. Robert and I have been talking, and we've realized that we haven't done a good job reigning Petunia in when she would make sharp comments about you, and for that we apologize."

"I never cared about that, I knew that you needed to remain neutral, and I always knew that you don't feel the same way as Petunia, and that's all that matters."

"While I appreciate the fact that you never cared about that, the fact is, we failed you. It was our job to make sure that our daughters had everything they needed, and we allowed Petunia to take away your self confidence by doing nothing. And that was wrong" Robert insisted.

"Robert is right. We should have stopped it, and from now on we will. We love you Lily, you and your magic, especially when it does the dishes." Rose joked and they all laughed.

"Well the roast should be about done. Robert why don't you set the table…"

"I'll take care of it mum." Lily said, and with a swift wave of her wand, the table was neatly set. "Thanks Lily, now Robert why don't you go and get Petunia." Rose said and Robert agreed, not wanting the two sisters to face each other again.

Dinner that night was relatively peaceful. It was peaceful in the sense that Petunia pretended that she was alone at the table, and when she did need something, she spoke only to one of her parents. Lily and James, on the other hand, regaled Robert and Rose with stories from the past semester, specifically about how the two separate groups of friends became one. James also told several of the Marauders' tamer stories from days past, that had Robert rolling in laughter, even sharing some of his crazier stories from his youth.

"So I filled this class tube with the powder from a package of fire crackers, rigged a fuse, lit the fuse. My friends and I thought it would just flame up out of the top, but it just blew up. Glass went spewing everywhere and the tube blew out the window in our tree house." James and Lily laughed while Rose just rolled her eyes having heard this story several times before.

"Did you or your friends get hurt?" Lily asked.

"No, my friends were too far away, and at the last minute I put a mattress up in front of me to protect myself. It was a good thing too, because if I hadn't I probably would have been hurt."

The stories continued and while James and Robert continued to swap stories, Lily and Rose left the room and went into the family room. The two made themselves comfortable in front of the fire with another glass of hot chocolate.

"I really am sorry Lily, I should have done more over the years. Not only to protect you from Petunia's barbs but also to make sure that you knew how much I love you."

"I know you love me mum. The fact is though, I wasn't there when you really needed me. There's a part of me that will never forgive myself."

"Mum, please." Lily begged. "I'm not, nor have I ever been upset. The fact is, that dealing with Petunia's remarks has allowed me to become the woman I am now, well that and James' influence as well." Rose smile, Lily didn't realize how in love she sounded when she talked about James.

"You love him, don't you?" Rose asked gently.

"I think so, it just seems too soon, and I have all of these conflicting thoughts telling me it's not really love."

"Ah, the usual then." Rose said, remembering being that age. "You'll know when the time is right, and more importantly, you'll know when the right time to tell James is, chances are it will slip out unexpectedly."

"Right, that's something to look forward to, more embarrassment." Lily said with a fake sigh, and the two women laughed.

"It'll all come together you'll see." Rose said reassuringly as the men rejoined them. The four spent some more time talking before Robert and Rose went up to bed and left Lily and James to themselves. James and Lily spent a hour or so together talking quietly, kissing, sometimes in complete silence. It was only when James noticed that Lily was dozing that they decided to head up to sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, Warner Brothers, Scholastic Books and all other affiliated parties. No infringement is intended and no money is being made.

I would have had this up two days ago, but I had trouble posting.

They Way Life Works Chapter 14 Christmas Day

With the wedding only three days away and Petunia acting like a banshee James and Lily took the opportunity to hide away in the den and spend some quiet time together, doing their homework, talking and just enjoying the company. Occasionally, Rose and Robert would take turns hiding out with Lily and James in the den which allowed Lily's parents to get to know James and James to get to know Lily's parents, and each moment they spent together they liked each other more and more. Their personalities just matched really well, James was charming and funny, while Lily had inherited her parent's intelligence, her mother's poise and focus but also her father's sense of sarcasm. Basically, Lily and James grew closer, James grew closer to Lily's parents, and everybody avoided Petunia as much as they possibly could.

The peace only came on Christmas Eve, when Rose put her foot down and forced Petunia to think of something other than her wedding, they sat around sipping cider after they had eaten a delicious meatloaf made by Rose. Petunia was still quiet and spoke to no one with the exception of Vernon, who had joined them that night. She occasionally shot angry glances at Lily and James but she was wringing her hands over and over again, clearly nervous about her wedding quickly approaching. James honestly thought she looked like she was going to vomit, but he kept that to himself, and just chatted amicably to everyone. He tried to engage Vernon in conversation, but he was pretty sure that Petunia had told Vernon about him and Lily because he refused to acknowledge that either of them even existed. He was just as cold, if not colder, than Petunia was, James could tell that he had a mean streak about him. Vernon left early after a very stilted and awkward goodbye, Petunia saw him out and no one still in the room wanted to know what was happening on the front porch. After Vernon left, Petunia left to go upstairs and immediately the atmosphere in the room relaxed and the conversation flowed freely. Lily and James went to bed early, they'd had a long day.

Christmas morning dawned cloudy and cold. The family and James gathered in front of the tree and opened presents. James had gotten Lily a white gold bracelet with little lilies entwined in ivy. He had also gotten nice things for Rose and Robert and even Petunia. She would never admit she liked what he had gotten her, but she did, and everyone, including James, could tell that she did, and to them that was all that mattered. The rest of them, including Lily, were surprised by James's good taste. He had gotten Robert a beautiful watch, Rose a hand blown vase to hold her fresh flowers when they bloomed in the spring, for Petunia he had gotten a soft sweater. Lily had gotten James a pocket watch. James carried around his fathers pocket watch, which didn't work, as it was broken when during the fight where he was killed. The pocket watch Lily gave James was an exact replica. James was touched, because it allowed him to move on but still keep a piece of his father with him, and now he would actually know what time it was.

The peace was short lived, as Boxing Day was the day before the wedding. Rose spent the day cleaning the house for the reception. Lily, James and Robert helped clean up, despite Rose's objections, but she had to admit, things were finished sooner thanks to the help she received. That night Petunia was pacing back and forth so Lily and James hid in the den again until it was time to sleep.

The day of the wedding arrived and James had his pants and shirt on but was having trouble with his tie. Lily knocked and entered when James said to come in, she admired him in his suit. He looked amazing. She watched him struggle with his tie for awhile longer before she stepped in front of him and took over. James put his arms loosely around her and was looking into her eyes while her eyes were focused on his tie. When she was finished, his tie looked perfect, and he tightened his arms, not that she was complaining and she moved closer and wrapped around his neck, she met his eyes.

"You look absolutely beautiful." James said quietly.

"Thank you. You look really handsome, I'll have to find reasons to get you into a suit more often."

"As long as you're here to tie my tie." He said and they both laughed. James kissed her and then he just stared at her. She looked back, knowing he wanted to say something but needed some time to sort his thoughts. Surprisingly, she didn't mind being held by him until he figured out what he wanted to say.

"Lily, would it completely freak you out if I told you I was… if I said I was in love with you?" James said softly and timidly, which was much unlike him. Lily was shocked but very happy.

"Not at all. I'm in love with you too. I just haven't had the guts to say it."

"I know, it took a lot for me to say it, I couldn't help but thinking it was too soon. Last night though, when we were in here talking and we were both falling asleep, I didn't want you to leave. And I knew that it wasn't just that I didn't want you to leave the room or get off the bed, it was that I didn't want, _don't want _to leave, ever. That's when I knew that I loved you." James admitted. Lily looked like she was going cry but in a good way.

"I felt the same way. I can't describe the way it feels to be held by you other than to say it's the best feeling in the world. That's when I knew that I loved you." The couple kissed with a passion that no longer frightened them. They were interrupted by another knock on the door, they broke apart and Rose entered. She knew at once what had transpired because of the looks on their faces, they were relaxed and jubilantly happy. Rose hid her smile and told them it was time to assemble for the wedding. They all got in the car and headed to the church. Lily and James held hands the whole time.

James watched the flower girl head up the aisle, she was a chubby girl in a hideous purple dress, and James knew instantly she was related to Vernon, as she dropped rose peddles and made her way up to the alter. Vernon's sister was next, a large women, also wearing a hideous purple dress, and had a look meaner than Vernon's. Last, but certainly not least, was Lily. She was smiling, in a purple dress that, though not her best color, looked amazing on her, at least in James's opinion. She stood next to Vernon's sister and found James's eyes in the crowd. He gave her a wide, love filled smile, that made her knees weak. Petunia made her way up the aisle next, in a wedding dress, covered in lace and beads, far to gaudy for James's, or anybody's taste, but whatever made her happy, James thought. The wedding went off without a hitch. The reception moved smoothly over to the Evan's home, with only family invited, not including James of course, it was relatively small and Rose made an excellent host. James and Lily avoided Vernon's family as much as possible but did do the polite thing and wish the couple well as they left for the honeymoon.

After everyone had left, the four collapsed in the living room, the ladies had changed into their pajamas and the men had taken off their ties and jackets and loosened their shirts. They spent some time chatting but all were very tired and headed to bed early. As much as James and Lily wanted to be together, they knew they couldn't upset her family that way, so they reluctantly bid each other good night. Knowing they would spend the rest of vacation in a house without Petunia before they headed back to school to meet up with their friends again. More importantly, they'd spend the rest of vacation with each other, in love.


End file.
